Although chardonnay has fallen from fashion in the past few years, good chardonnay is delicious - it is also the grape behind some of the great white wines of France.
BEST VALUE
$23
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
A stylish, mouthfilling wine, hinting of melon, honeysuckle and almond biscuits with suggestions of spice and mineral, intense, textural, tightly structured and harmonious with a crisp, dry finish.
$22
Three stars
Below average value
A light aroma but with flavours suggesting butterscotch, burnt caramel and toasted nuts with supporting oak and a warm finish.
$25
Three and a half stars
Average value
This oozes nutty, toasty oak - a tad like chewing the end of a pencil - but with citrus and stonefruit managing to emerge with time in the glass. Heaven for lovers of oaky chardonnay.
$29
Four stars
Good value
Opulent juicy fruit suggesting nectarines, suggestions of toasty oak, nuts and butterscotch are balanced by a tight structure and crisp dry, finish. Everything you want in a chardonnay, including charm and harmony.
$35
Four stars
Average value
With shy aromas but mouth-filling with ripe stonefruit, creamy nuts, supporting oak and savoury undertones, this is complex, concentrated and stylish with a silky texture and long aftertaste.
$99
Four and a half stars
Below average value
A stylish wine with underlying nectarine and stonefruit, suggestions of nuts, spicy, smoky oak, vanilla and freshly baked croissants, harmonious and silky textured, but also big and mouth-filling with a lively, dry, textural finish and an aftertaste that goes on for ages.
ANOTHER GLASS
Church Road Chardonnay 2012
$30
Three and a half stars
Below average value
An attractive, mouth-filling wine, lightly perfumed with lots of stonefruit and oak, and hints of hot buttered toast.
